The first state level conference of All India People’s Forum (AIPF) was held in Bhubaneswar on 11-12 July 2015. The conference was attended several leaders and representatives from various people’s movements and struggles in Odisha. In the inaugural session of the conference, CPI(ML) General Secretary, Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya addressed the participants and spoke at length about the need to broaden and strengthen the AIPF initiatives. He said, ever since the BJP government was formed at the centre, almost every promise made to the people of this country at the time of elections has been broken, be it BJP’s promise to bring back black money, reduce inflation or put an end to the series of scams. The recent exposes pertaining to what is termed as Lalit Gate and the mass murders to prevent the truth of Vyapam Scam from coming out, had exposed the hollowness of BJP’s anti-corruption stance. Elaborating on the various anti-people policies of the current government at the behest of the corporate, he stressed on the need to wage a united struggle against them. Invoking the inspiring legacy of people’s movements in Odisha that had regularly taken on the might of the corporates and also defeated them on several occasions, he emphasized on the need to strengthen AIPF as a united platform for struggles.
Several sessions focused on the burning issues of the day. In the first discussion session on day one, the focus was on the issues pertaining to land, livelihood, and food security. Participants pointed out the hypocrisy of the BJD government in Odisha, which while claiming to be opposed to the Land Acquisition Ordinance of the BJP government, was itself pushing forward anti-poor land related policies in Odisha. The anti-land grab prohibition ordinance of the BJD was not aimed at protecting the land and livelihood of the poor or the farmers, but instead it was aimed at snatching back the gains of various pro-poor land struggles and land reforms. The second session focused on ‘caste, gender based and communal violence and the rights of sexual minorities’. The speakers in the session included AIPWA national secretary Com. Kavita Krishnan, transgender activist Menaka, activists Amiya Pandab, Romita Kundu and others. The post lunch sessions on day I saw discussions on ‘health, education and housing rights’ and ‘labour law reforms’.
On day two, the pre lunch sessions saw activists from various people’s movements and fronts including such as POSCO Virodhi Sangram Samiti, Chilika Matsyjivi Sangh, AIARLA, Koraput Adivasi Ekata Sangathan, and others share their experiences and talk on ‘State repression, draconian laws and the need to defend democratic rights of people’. Member of the Jharkhand chapter of AIPF, Dayamani Barla, highlighted the increased oppression of people’s movements by the current state and central governments and the need for the movements to build solidarity with each other and give befitting response to the anti-people governments. In the last discussion session of the conference, CPI(ML) central committee member, Com. Yudhistir Mohapatra and human rights activist Manas Jena raised concerns pertaining to electoral reforms and the proportionate representation system. In the concluding session of the conference, resolutions pertaining to the need to strengthen pro-people’s struggles, fight against state oppression and victimization of activists and condemning the Modi and Naveen Patnaik governments’ anti people policies were tabled and passed. Members were also selected to AIPF state campaign committee, state council members and the convening group from among the several fronts, groups and rights’ activists who participated. The next state level conference of the AIPF will be held in Jharkhand on 9 August 2015.
